French Man Becomes First to Take Wife's Name

France’s new gender equality law dictates a series of restrictions designed to abolish gender differences. Those restrictions include lessons for children on the “ABC of gender equality,” compelling companies to pay equally for jobs as dictated by a court. The law also allows a husband to take his wife’s name.

Now a French man has become the first to take his wife’s name. Philippe S said, “I contacted seven town halls, they all turned me down. They checked several times the boxes they could tick on their computer systems and said it was simply impossible to change it to my wife’s.” Finally, he informed them of the law, and they changed his name: “I needed my wife’s name to be able to get ahead in life, not constantly get knock-backs, and I feel things are improving already.”